Chapter 96: Same Place, Same Mission

Snap!

The white ball once again grazed Sawamura's body and flew into Tadano's open mitt.

"BALL!"

These two Balls nearly struck Sawamura directly.

Yet, he remained unperturbed.

Although his eyesight wasn't as sharp as Mima Soichiro's and lacked such dynamic acuity, he could still clearly see the 135 km/h ball's landing point, direction, and changes.

None of it escaped his attention.

This wasn't a pitcher's error; it was a deliberate miss by the opponent.

'Are they trying to force me back?'

Sawamura instinctively thought.

Aside from that reasoning, he couldn't conceive of any other motive for their actions. Their intent was already so obvious, so he decided to play along.

With calm confidence, he took a step back, assuming a normal scarecrow-batting stance.

From this position, he could adjust his swing with the step he had taken.

Sawamura carefully studied Hirano on the mound, waiting for the pitch.

Whoosh!

As if it had been prearranged, the white ball indeed came out.

A glimmer of joy crossed Sawamura's face.

With such a generous offering from the opponent, how could he refuse?

Taking a step forward, he prepared to swing his bat.

But just as he began to swing, Sawamura halted his motion.

'No, wait!'

'The ball was outside the strike zone.'

'It veered out toward the outside corner!'

Snap!

"BALL!"

Sawamura internally sighed in relief.

He had almost fallen for it.

After two inside pitches, he thought the opponent would catch him off guard with an outside pitch.

He hadn't anticipated that was not the case at all.

'That sly guy Tadano was trying to trick me into swinging.'

'How come catchers are always like this, not caring one bit?'

While Sawamura was silently complaining, the fourth pitch came flying in.

There had already been three Balls.

This last pitch should definitely be a strike.

Sawamura thought so, eagerly preparing to swing.

But the white ball did not follow his expectations.

It bounced before reaching home plate and landed squarely in Tadano's Mitt.

What a letdown!

Sawamura frowned, assessing Hirano on the mound.

'Has he cracked under the pressure?'

It wasn't surprising for such a situation to arise. The current score was 3:1; if they conceded any more runs, Inajitsu's situation would indeed become dire.

In such circumstances, it was no wonder a pitcher could be overwhelmed.

Not to mention, this was the Koshien finals. Unless you were a veteran like Sawamura, staying calm was a challenge.

Seeing that his opponent might be collapsing, Sawamura felt a tinge of regret.

Though he was driven by the desire to lead Seidou High School to national dominance again, he actually hoped to battle stronger opponents along the way to improve his own skills.

To put it bluntly, he wanted not only results but also to enjoy the process.

But now it seemed that was destined to be mere wishful thinking.

For Sawamura to desire both the result and the enjoyment of the process was likely to be extremely difficult.

At least in today's game, it looked like he wouldn't get to enjoy it.

Sawamura Walked to first base.

The situation shifted to one Out with runners on first and second.

In such a scenario, it seemed only natural for Seidou High School to capitalize and significantly increase its score.

In the catcher's position, Tadano called for a timeout for the second time.

This prompted an angry outburst from Narumiya in the outfield.

"What with that weak heart!"

'In this situation, they should strike decisively, getting three Outs in one go to swing the game back in our favor.'

'Calling for another timeout to discuss tactics? How weak!'

Narumiya was frustrated!

But the others remained calm.

They gathered around the pitcher, whispering.

"What do you plan to do?'

Miyuki watched Inajitsu's group with keen interest.

He didn't share Sawamura's aspirations; he was not looking for a fierce game.

What he wanted was simply results.

If Inajitsu could make mistakes and falter, he wouldn't hesitate to stomp on them.

Miyuki had no qualms about that.

The most important thing was to win the championship and help the team succeed; that was the ultimate reward.

A loud debate erupted in the mound.

It appeared the strategies being discussed weren't reaching a consensus.

'Interesting!'

Now that tensions had flared, it was amusing to see infighting on the opponent's mound.

This was truly entertaining.

Miyuki's interest only grew.

He could hardly wait to see what the opponent would decide.

Then, under Tadano's assurance, the Inajitsu players on the mound finally calmed down.

Despite a few grim faces, they seemed to have reached an agreement.

'Tadano Itsuki!'

Miyuki cast a deep glance at Tadano as he returned to the catcher's position, feeling somewhat surprised.

Inajitsu High School had many thorny star players.

While their skills were reassuring, their character could be quite quirky.

To coordinate these individuals was no small feat; Tadano's ability was certainly impressive.

'Even after Mei and the other graduates, Inajitsu High School under Tadano's leadership would likely remain a formidable rival for Seidou.'

'After our graduation, Seidou still needed a strong catcher.'

'Forget it; that was a matter for the Coaching staff to handle.'

'For now, his most important task was to hit the ball and completely defeat the pitcher.'

Miyuki's goal was straightforward, but unfortunately, it didn't pan out.

Tadano, standing as a catcher, simply got up and walked aside.

With one Out and runners on first and second, Inajitsu decided to issue an intentional walk.

A respectful offer!

"BALL!"

"BALL!"

"BALL!!"

"BALL!!!"

"Walk to base!!!"

One Out, full base!

Full base!!!!

"Seidou!"

"Seidou!!!"

As Miyuki stepped onto first base, Sawamura, originally at first, was pushed to second, while Kuramochi, who was on second, moved to third.

The situation now was one Out with the bases loaded.

Fans supporting Seidou High School were thrilled, unable to contain their excitement.

The score was 3:1, with Seidou leading by two runs.

If the batter from Seidou could make an impact with the bases loaded, it would be a spectacular sight.

Owada Akiko, a journalist from Baseball Kingdom Magazine and a die-hard Seidou fan, was also buzzing with excitement. She shouted alongside the surrounding crowd while snapping pictures with her camera.

It was clear she was overjoyed.

Like the other spectators, she believed Seidou High School was already on the path to victory.

Sitting next to her, Fujio's eyes held a depth of concern.

A full base situation wasn't necessarily a good thing.

There's a saying: taking a step back opens up the horizon. Sawamura's four Balls could be due to the pitcher being pressured.

However, Miyuki's four balls were clearly intentional walks.

There were many nuances in play.

If they were deliberately presenting such a posture, then it was hard to believe that Inajitsu's players had no plans in mind.

Fujio wouldn't accept that idea, no matter what.

Similarly, as a long-standing rival of Inajitsu, Seidou's players shared his skepticism.

Adopting a full base strategy had indeed bypassed Miyuki's batting, but Seidou's next batter wasn't an easy target.

Shiratsu was a formidable hitter, and his style particularly countered a pitcher like Hirano.

What should Inajitsu do?

At this moment, Seidou's players couldn't possibly guess.

In the dugout, Coach Kataoka wore sunglasses and a serious expression.

After observing Inajitsu's actions, he quickly directed his players.

'Stick to our swing and Hit the ball!!!'

This instruction was straightforward: let Shiratsu compete directly with the opposing battery.

In critical moments, Coach Kataoka will trust his players. His faith in them was unparalleled by any other coach.

If there was a better strategy, he would have chosen it.

But in baseball, there are certain situations where you just have to go for it.

The opponent's full base defense was aimed at achieving this very outcome.

Bring it on!

At this crucial moment, Coach Kataoka's spirit was unwavering.

In Inajitsu's dugout, the assistant coach was sweating profusely, rubbing his palms anxiously.

"Coach?"

He glanced at Coach Kunitomo's expression, hesitating.

Kunitomo's bold tactics made him uneasy.

Creak~

Kunitomo cracked his neck and looked at his assistant calmly.

"This is the Koshien final!"

"Eh?"

What does that mean?

The assistant coach stared at Kunitomo in confusion.

Kunitomo didn't provide further explanation.

At this moment, the team's opponents understood Kunitomo's strategic intentions better than anyone.

In Seidou's dugout, Coach Ochiai stroked his chin, thoughtfully observing Shiratsu in the Batter's Box.

'Koshien is a magical place—a dream for many young players.'

'Under such circumstances, every player's performance is magnified, and they face greater pressure.'

'If Shiratsu could make solid contact now, Seidou might very well seal their victory.'

'One hit could bring in at least two runs, or even more.'

'This could widen the score gap to four or five runs.'

No matter how capable Inajitsu's players were, this immense pressure could break them.

Conversely, if Shiratsu couldn't make contact, the consequences would be dire.

'Could Shiratsu handle the pressure and perform well at this moment?'

'This would directly determine whether he could solidify his position as the fifth batter for Seidou.'

These kids were much smarter now. In high school, they followed their coach's instructions without questioning them.

But today's players were different, and Shiratsu likely considered the same possibilities.

'So, what will you do?'

Shiratsu readied his batting stance, preparing for a long hit.

In the catcher's position, Tadano's eyes seemed to see right through him, constantly running simulations in his mind.

They were dancing on a knife's edge; one misstep could lead to disaster.

In moments like this, caution was paramount. Often, success or failure hinges on the unnoticed details.

Here it comes!

With a plan in mind, Tadano signaled Hirano on the mound.

Receiving the signal, Hirano threw the ball decisively.

At first base, Miyuki murmured, "A low course Slider!"

As predicted, the white ball soared to the low corner of the strike zone, then slid sideways.

In the Batter's Box, Shiratsu's focus was reaching a scary degree, the pressure, the situation, the expectation, none of that mattered to him now.

People tend to forget that he was also one of the Champion team, the team that dominated all of high school baseball with his Senpais.

He has been here before, and he reached this height before, and he knows what he has to do.

All he had to do was swing and hit the ball!

Buzz!

Shiratsu's bat zoomed at the approaching ball and collided with it.

Ping!

The white ball was struck and flew forward at a great speed!

…

T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!

See you Tomorrow!

Until then, take care!

You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.

https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt

There are +130 Chapters there.